Claim Review: Midazolam and COVID-19 Deaths in the UK

The claim that the UK government used Midazolam to prematurely end the lives of thousands of elderly people and falsely reported them as COVID-19 deaths has been circulating widely. This claim is based on several pieces of information, including the purchase of a large quantity of Midazolam, the use of Midazolam in care homes, and the correlation between Midazolam prescriptions and COVID-19 deaths.

Midazolam is a sedative drug commonly used in palliative care and for sedation before medical procedures. It is also associated with respiratory depression and respiratory arrest, especially when used for sedation in noncritical care settings. The claim suggests that the UK government purchased a two-year supply of Midazolam in March 2020 and that this drug was used to prematurely end the lives of elderly people in care homes, with their deaths being falsely reported as COVID-19 deaths.

However, there are several issues with this claim. Firstly, while it is true that the UK government purchased a large quantity of Midazolam in March 2020, this was done as part of national efforts to respond to the coronavirus outbreak and to reduce the likelihood of future shortages. The purchase of Midazolam was not unique to the UK, and many other countries also increased their stocks of sedatives and other drugs in response to the pandemic.

Secondly, while there was an increase in the number of prescriptions for Midazolam in April 2020, this does not necessarily mean that the drug was used to prematurely end the lives of elderly people. Midazolam is a commonly used drug in palliative care, and the increase in prescriptions may have been due to the increase in the number of people requiring end-of-life care during the pandemic.

Thirdly, the claim that the deaths of elderly people were falsely reported as COVID-19 deaths is not supported by any concrete evidence. While it is true that there were a large number of excess deaths in care homes during the pandemic, this does not necessarily mean that these deaths were caused by Midazolam or that they were falsely reported as COVID-19 deaths.

In conclusion, while there are some concerning correlations between the use of Midazolam and COVID-19 deaths, there is no concrete evidence to support the claim that the UK government used Midazolam to prematurely end the lives of thousands of elderly people and falsely reported them as COVID-19 deaths. This claim is largely unfounded and should be treated with caution.